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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404320">Disarmed</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav'>vivvav</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Gen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-05</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 21:28:54</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,365</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27404320</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/vivvav/pseuds/vivvav</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing the Anchor, Inquisitor Adaar is having trouble adjusting to his new physical impairment.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Disarmed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is something I wrote as a response to a writing prompt on Reddit 5 years ago. I decided to throw it up on AO3 so I wouldn't have to keep searching for that particular Reddit thread if I ever wanted to reread it. Also decided to do a second draft on it, why not?</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Virras Adaar felt pathetic. True, he was glad to finally be rid of the Anchor. There were no more rifts to seal, no more demon incursions to undo beyond standard consequences of blood magic, and while being able to use the power of the Veil in combat was useful, he much preferred swinging his hammer, Rockcrusher. Forged to his specifics by Haritt for his descent into the Deep Roads and specially enchanted by Dagna to hurt Darkspawn, it was a magnificent weapon, even if didn’t have the most creative name. It shone bright as it pulped not only the servants of the Blight, but demons, dragons, and all foes who would challenge him. With every heavy swing, he put in all of his power, and his great Tal-Vashoth strength (he had become more insistent on not being called Qunari after dealing with the evils of real Qunari) came out of the hammer's head and into his foes' screaming bodies in a glorious, bone-breaking fashion.</p><p class="p1">But no more. Rockcrusher, the mighty hammer that once shook the Deep Roads themselves (well, it was the waking Titan, but Virras liked to think he contributed to it), would not serve a master without the strength to lift it. And while his remaining right arm was mighty, it could never bear the weapon's great heft alone, at least not in combat. Picking up the hammer one-handed was difficult, but not impossible. Virras's inner circle would sometimes make a game out of it, even. Bull could lift it one-handed of course, as could Cullen, Thom Rainier and Cassandra, albeit with some difficulty. Surprisingly, Cole could as well, claiming that you just had to ask it nicely, which may explain why Sera's cuss-laden struggles yielded no results. But swinging it with one hand was out of the question. Even if it could be done, it would be slow and impractical, something Bull noted sadly, his, Thom's, and Virras's shared dream of dual-wielding greatswords forever out of reach.</p><p class="p1">Indeed, after the Exalted Council, Virras felt neutered. He had always wielded mighty, two-handed weaponry, and now he could not. Sometimes he would feel like his arm was still there, and he would reach down with his hand, grasping for it, only to remember there was nothing. Wondering if this was some leftover magical effect from the Anchor, he consulted Vivienne on the matter, but she informed him that there was no residual magic she could detect, and that the feeling was all in his mind, a medical condition healers referred to as "Fade Limb”.</p><p class="p1">Worse than the Fade Limb, however, was the pity. Virras wasn't very good at hiding his feelings, or perhaps simply not very interested in attempting it. Skyhold's staff noted that he seemed to always be sulking as he walked around the fortress. Nobles detected a weakness in meetings, and while Virras was still an excellent diplomat and put on a strong front, he had let Josephine do more of the talking for him than usual, and it was clear that something was wrong with his mood. The worst pities came from his friends, however. Cole was constantly trying to find a way to heal his hurt, something Virras quickly grew annoyed by. Vivienne was regularly inviting him along to parties to try and lift his spirits, but he was never quite comfortable in those settings. Dorian regularly messaged Virras via sending crystal about how he could use his one arm as a fashion statement, but the glib magister's attempts at cheering his friend up yielded no results. Even his best friend, Sera, who had no dam between her thoughts and her mouth, seemed to be pulling punches in conversation. She hadn't called him a knob in weeks. Even worse, she stopped holding rooftop chats with him, just inviting him to talk behind the tavern like she was afraid he'd fall and die if he tried to climb to their regular meeting spot. Worst of all was Cassandra. Although now Divine, her relationship with Inquisitor Adaar remained strong, as did her concern for him. She hadn't had much time to spend with him, but was always worried about enemies trying to attack him in his weakened state. Seeing her love’s “official” disbandment for the farce it was, she requested Leliana to assign more spies to always be watching Virras, and personally asked Bull to have at least one Charger accompany him as a bodyguard wherever he went. Virras knew that Cassandra had the best of intentions, but it was still infuriating. Once, they had been equals, fighting against Red Templars and Venatori back to back, and everybody looked to Inquisitor Adaar as a beacon of strength. Now he just felt like another statesman who needed the protection of real warriors at all times.</p><p class="p1">This would not stand. Virras asked Cullen to help him learn one-handed sword fighting. The former templar was happy to help, although the instruction did not go splendidly. Without a shield, Virras was always wide open, and he refused to entertain Cassandra's notion of strapping a shield to the left side of his body. Bull tried to help Virras get back into shape with some intense Qunari exercises, but after the fifth flying log to the face, it was clear that the one-armed swordsman idea wasn't going to play out like everyone had hoped.</p><p class="p1">Feeling defeated, Virras went to Kirkwall. Varric had invited him to get away for a bit, and Virras thought that maybe a vacation was just what he needed. Everybody was concerned at first and wanted to accompany him, but Virras refused, sick of the doting. Eventually, he relented and allowed Krem and Scout Harding to accompany him as his security detail, as well as a handful of guards supplied by Kirkwall's Guard-Captain Aveline. It was while watching Varric and Harding in an archery competition on Varric's estate that Virras was struck with inspiration. Virras had always admired Bianca, but seeing the crossbow go toe-to-toe with an archer as seasoned as Harding made him realize just what an incredible piece of machinery it was. Virras asked Varric if he could put him in contact with the real Bianca, the woman who had invented the crossbow. Varric was resistant, but after a lot of prodding, pleading, and a game of Wicked Grace in which both the Viscount and the Inquisitor lost to a Nug, he agreed to it.</p><p class="p1">Bianca arrived at Skyhold unannounced a month later, and Virras quickly introduced her to Dagna. He asked the two of them if they could combine Bianca's mechanical brilliance and Dagna's arcanist knowledge to somehow craft a replacement arm for him, so he could get back in fighting condition. After much discussion, the two dwarven geniuses crafted a mechanical arm that, with the flick of a switch, could be used to grab things. While not quite flexible enough to be used to wield a weapon in combat (Dagna said such a thing would require lyrium flowing directly through Virras's blood, an idea he was not keen on), Bianca managed to incorporate a special feature. With the flick of another switch, a large section of the arm would rotate, storing away the fake hand and placing the repurposed head of Rockcrusher at Virras's wrist instead, ready to be swung once again. Virras named his new hammer arm "the Fist of Victory", a reference to Cassandra’s new position and title. Although she could no longer travel at his side or have an open relationship with him, it was a nice little way to feel like she was still by his side.</p><p class="p1">Of course, there was another reason for the name, one unknown to all but Virras and Sera. He wouldn't tell Bianca why he wanted a shallow secret panel, not even large enough to store anything, but Virras insisted it be added. Thanks to Sera's artistic skills, stealthiness, and willingness to sneak into the Divine's quarters at night when she slept in the nude "because my friend deserves the best quality, yeah?", Virras now carried a very accurate and very compromising portrait of Cassandra with him at all times. One year later, he still hasn't decided whether he should tell her.</p>
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